[2024 Jinzhong Attraction] Travel Guide for Yuci Old City (Updated Oct)
No.9 of Best Things to Do in Jinzhong
Ancient Towns
Historical Sites
Nighttime sightseeing
Address:
Yuci District,Jinzhong City
Opening times:
Opens at 08:00-18:00Open
Recommended sightseeing time:
3-4 hours
Phone:
0354-8500003
Look at historical China, come to Yuci Old Town, it's worth visiting Yuci
Look at historical China, come to Yuci Old Town, it's worth visiting Yuci, with nearly 3000 years of city-building history;
In the Spring and Autumn period, it was called Tushui, Weiyu, and Zhongdu, and in the Warring States period, it was renamed Yuci;
The existing old city was built in the second year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (582 AD) on the site of the old Han city.
The story of "Wei Jiang and Rong" in the Spring and Autumn period happened in the Yuci area. It was the first time in Chinese history that a dispute was resolved peacefully, becoming a landmark of China's "peace culture".
Important figures such as Zhao State minister Lin Xiangru, Later Han Emperor Liu Zhiyuan, Song Dynasty prime minister Kou Zhun, and Ming Dynasty honest official Chu Fu were all born in Yuci.
Yuci has a superior geographical location and has long been known as the "dry dock". It has always been a hub for north-south distribution and a gathering place for merchants. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Chang family of Chewang who opened the Tea Road, and the Wang family of Niedian who had banks all over the country, together with merchants from Qixian, Taigu, and Pingyao, created the world-renowned miracle of Jin merchants. The existing Chang Family Manor is known as "China's No. 1 Confucian Merchant Family", making Yuci an important birthplace of Jin merchant culture.
Due to historical reasons, many buildings in the old city gradually disappeared. In 2000, Geng Yanbo was transferred to Yuci, Jinzhong City, to initiate the restoration of the old city.
After the restoration, the city has many historical and cultural attractions such as the City God Temple, County Office, Confucian Temple, Fengming Academy, North and South Streets, City Tower, Sifeng Tower, Qingxu Pavilion, Dasheng Temple, and West Garden, with more than 50 films and TV dramas filmed here.
Grace Beaumont16
Jinzhong Yuci Old City
Jinzhong Yuci Ancient City.
Yuci Old City covers an area of 1 million square meters, with ancient buildings and garden buildings covering 600,000 square meters. Inside the old city, there are many ancient buildings such as the City God Temple, the County Government Office, the Confucian Temple, the Fengming Academy, the North and South Streets, and the City Tower. Yuci is one of the ancient cities in Shanxi, serving as the southern gate of the provincial capital Taiyuan, and is known as a significant town in the south of Taiyuan.
It costs only two yuan for a train ticket from Taiyuan to Yuci, which is quite convenient. Having seen the prosperity of many provincial capital cities, one might forget the hidden treasures in small towns. My first visit to Yuci left me captivated by the culture hidden within its exquisite buildings.
Serendipity_Mia_78
Travel to Shanxi in the summer, and this hidden gem of a small city is worth visiting
Located just a 22-minute train ride from Taiyuan, there is an ancient city called 'Wei Yu', which is the hometown of Jin Merchant culture in China. It also boasts a wealth of ancient architecture, and that is Yuci in Jinzhong.
⛰️ One-day tour itinerary:
🌟 Fengming Academy - Yuci Confucian Temple - Yuci City Tower - Yuci County Government Office - Xiyuan - Yuci City God Temple - Qingxu Pavilion (currently closed, you can take a peek through the fence)
🚌 Transportation options:
🌟 It is recommended to take a train from Taiyuan, and after getting off, take a bus to reach the ancient city.
📸 Highlights
✅ Yuci Confucian Temple: It is one of the oldest existing building complexes in Yuci city. There are not many highlights, but two places are worth focusing on. The first is the wooden archway with four pillars and three gates, whose green glazed tiles on top are particularly beautiful. The second is the 28 coiled dragon stone pillars outside the Dacheng Hall, which are majestic.
✅ Yuci County Government Office, known as the 'First Assistant of Jin Vassal' and 'The Number One Office in Sanjin', has a large complex that includes six courtyards with six entrances and exits. The architecture is not too ancient in Shanxi Province, but it well displays the regulations of the ancient county government office and is quite valuable. As the saying goes, 'For imperial courts, visit the Forbidden City; for county government offices, visit Yuci', so naturally, when you come to Yuci, you should see this complex.
✅ Yuci City God Temple, which is a key national cultural heritage site, also has a considerable size. The two statues of warriors inside the mountain gate are particularly spectacular, and after entering the gate, you will see the combined structure of the Xuanjian Tower. The Xuanjian Tower, together with the music tower, stage, and screen wall, form a whole and was rated as one of the world's 100 most exquisite ancient buildings by the World Historic and Cultural Site Protection in 1999.
✅ Other highlights: Due to limited time, I did not visit Chang Family Manor, but there are also many highlights here, such as the largest and most complete ancestral hall in Chinese residential buildings, and the largest screen wall in Shanxi residential buildings, etc.
Yuci is not big, but it has many cultural highlights. If you come to Taiyuan, consider taking a day to explore.
quill_3142
Yuci Old Town in Jinzhong, I hope it remains a living ancient city
The ancient cities of Shanxi are numerous
Datong, Pingyao, Xinzhou, Jiexiu, Yuncheng
The only one known as the 'Ghost City' is Yuci Old Town...
Looking at the navigation map, Yuci seems to be closer to Taiyuan, no wonder the people of Shanxi call Yuci the southern gate of Taiyuan. The old city was built on the site of the old Han City during the Sui Dynasty's Kaihuang era. It has the flavor of Pingyao, but today's Yuci Old Town, most of the buildings are renovated to look old. To call it an old town is still appropriate, at least it doesn't claim to be an ancient city...
📸Highlights
✅ Yuci City God Temple: One of the world's 100 most exquisite ancient buildings
✅ Yuci County Government Office: The number one government office in Sanjin
✅ Yuci Confucian Temple: The Lingxing Gate feels like it's originally from the Song Dynasty
✅ Qingxu Pavilion: The Bagua (Eight Trigrams) caisson ceiling is beautiful
Yuci Old Town is not big, just one street across and one street down. The City God Temple is worth a look, the rest you can probably just glance at from the outside. On a big weekend, there are hardly any tourists in the old town, shops are closed, there's nothing to eat or drink, weeds are growing on the ground, and there are many 'large entertainment facilities' in front of the City God Temple, which seem out of place. Is this the so-called blend of ancient and modern? And they dare to charge 78 yuan for admission? I've been to Xinzhou Ancient City, and in terms of ancient architecture, it's not as good as Yuci, but in terms of popularity, the free Xinzhou Ancient City is bustling with visitors... That's what you call a living old town.
Yuci was once called Fengcheng
I just hope it doesn't become the 'young phoenix' in the story of 'Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix'‼️
LILIAN SAVAGE
Yuci Old Town is quite cold, but that doesn't stop me from loving it!
I've been to Yuci Old Town many times, but I still love its ancient architecture the most!
Yuci Old Town, located in Yuci District, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, was built on the site of the old city in the second year of Sui Kaihuang (AD 582), and has a history of 1400 years, mainly with Ming and Qing architecture.
The brick and tile buildings of Yuci Old Town, each with its own beautiful shape, exquisite brick carvings, wood carvings, stone carvings, and colored paintings: the muscular statues in front of the City God Temple, the exquisite hollow wood carvings in the West Garden, the colored paintings of Yuci County Yamen, the first building in the world standing in the C position, etc., vividly tell the vicissitudes of the years and the accumulation of heavy history.
Yuci Old Town is free, and the small scenic spots inside need to buy tickets, 60 yuan. Departing from Taiyuan, take the 901 branch line at the train station directly to the old city, the fare is 3 yuan.
acidic_brianna
Yuci Old Town
Yuci is one of the ancient cities of Shanxi, the southern gate of the provincial capital Taiyuan, known as the town of Henan.
There is a bus from Taiyuan Railway Station directly to Yuci Old Town. After getting off the bus, it is the archway. The Old Town is free to open, but there are 6 paid attractions to buy tickets. The ancient city is mainly two old streets with crisscrosss, all of which are architectural styles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, but there are not many tourists, and business is not prosperous. All the attractions are on these two streets, there are ancient colleges, old county plaques, temples, and the two scenic spots of Yuci County and Fengming Academy are worth visiting. There are many local snacks on the old street. The restaurants here are mostly noodles, and the various noodles in Shanxi are delicious.
As early as the Warring States period, the history book has a record of Yuci Cheng Guo. The Yuci Old Town was built in the second year of the Kaihuang Emperor (AD 582) and has been built on the site of Seoul. It has a history of more than 1,400 years.
The old city of Friday, Gao Sanzhang, Jiguang Sizhang, Shangguang Erzhang, Chikuo and Gao, Deep Half has been completely preserved until the 1940s.
Kinoshitalite.
Yuci Old Town is located in Yuci District, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province. It was built in the second year of the ancient city (AD 582) and has been built on the site of the ancient city. It has a history of 1400 years. It is a city built according to traditional Chinese planning ideas and architectural styles. It is the crystallization of the ingenuity and perseverance of the working people of ancient China.